“A bi-monetary zone is being officially introduced in the region on May 23rd: the ruble will be used along with the hryvnia,” the official said in a briefing, which was published on his Telegram channel. In his words, this will allow the companies operating in the region to set prices in both currencies. He reported that the exchange rate is set at 2 rubles for one hryvnia.

On May 11th, the deputy head of the military and civil administration of Kherson, Kiril Stremousov, stated that the local authorities will ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to incorporate the territory into Russia.

Stremoúsov pointed out that the intention is to ask the Russian president to introduce the region as a full-fledged subject of the Russian Federation by the end of the year, based on a legislative base that they are preparing and which justifies the proposal.

“For now, according to our plans, the Kherson region works according to the decisions of the military and civil administration, and by the end of the year a decision will be made on how we will exist,” he said.

The Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitri Peskov, told the press on Wednesday that the residents of the region of Kherson must decide for themselves whether or not to request that their territory be incorporated into Russia. He also pointed out that such a possibility must have a clear legal justification.

“Of course, whether or not there is going to be a request must be decided by the residents of the Kherson region, and the residents of the Kherson region must also decide their fate,” said the official, who warned that “this is a matter of which must be clearly and exhaustively verified and evaluated by legal experts”.

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